County Sets ‘Roundup’ of Household Toxic Wastes

It’s spring cleaning time. Time to get rid of those solvents, paints, bug killers, drain cleaners and other half-used containers of who-knows-what that have been collecting under the kitchen sink or in the garage.

Before succumbing to the urge to toss them in the trash or flush them down the gutter to the nearest storm drain--wait: Orange County’s hazardous waste managers say they have a better solution.

The county has declared April 20 Toxics Roundup Day at Transfer Station No. II, next to the Mountjoy fire station in Huntington Beach. On that day, a Saturday, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., up to 5 gallons (or 50 pounds) of waste chemicals per household may be left free of charge at the collection station, on Gothard Street south of Talbert Avenue.

Safe Transfer

Toxic materials will be packaged for safe transfer to the Casmalia hazardous-waste dump in Santa Barbara County, said Robert A. Griffith, director of the county Hazardous Materials Program. No commercial disposals will be accepted.

Griffith said the countywide collection effort, which will be the first of its kind, is intended to provide an alternative to the illegal dumping of common, yet highly dangerous household chemicals such as wood preservatives, floor or furniture polish, pool chemicals, bleach, fertilizers, weed killers, aerosol cans, flea powders and other insecticides.

“The main reason for our program is to try to get people’s consciousness raised, so they understand that (toxic chemicals) have to be treated carefully, not casually,” Griffith said.

Typically, such leftover chemicals are dumped with the rest of the trash, flushed down a drain or gutter, or buried--all methods that are “unsafe and can contribute to environmental damage such as contamination of water supplies,” according to project coordinator Karen R. Peters.

Effects Unknown

Toxic chemicals in trash end up at landfills that are not equipped to contain them. Health and hazardous-waste experts say there is no way to foretell the effects of chemicals already accumulating at municipal dumps. In some cases, seepage from sites like the Stringfellow Acid Pits, in Riverside County, has already contaminated the ground water.

Dumping hazardous chemicals into other trash also can endanger the health and safety of refuse haulers, waste experts say.

It is equally dangerous to flush even diluted chemicals, pesticides or other materials down gutters because they pass untreated into waterways and the ocean. When toxic materials are poured down the drain and into the sewers, they can cause injury to sanitation workers as well as disrupt the sewage-treatment process.

Toxics are also harmful to septic tank systems, which rely on biological decomposition to break down wastes.

“We must take action to address this issue now,” said Supervisor Harriett Wieder, who is honorary chairman of Toxics Roundup Day.

Co-sponsors of the project are the Orange Coast League of Women Voters, the county Sanitation Districts, the Huntington Beach Fire Department and the City of Huntington Beach.

Griffith said his staff is hoping for a large turnout. The city of Irvine had a one-day collection last October that was not widely publicized.

If this month’s effort is successful, Griffith said, the Hazardous Materials Program will have perhaps five toxic-roundup days annually at various locations.

Griffith said unlabeled compounds will be analyzed at the transfer station by a chemist.

“The reason for that is on the manifest we have to give to the Class I (hazardous waste) dump operators, we have to identify what we’re giving to them, so they can dispose of it the right way,” Griffith said.

No Gasoline, Motor Oil

No gasoline, motor or transmission oil or antifreeze will be accepted. Griffith said state law requires automobile service stations that sell those products to accept them for recycling.

“Practically speaking, though, they don’t all know they have to,” he said.

For information and the names of service stations that do accept gasoline, oils and antifreeze products for recycling, Griffith said, call the California Waste Management Board, at 800-952-5545.

All materials collected on Toxics Roundup Day will be packaged in 55-gallon drums and moved by a contract hauler, Liquid Waste Management Inc. of Upland, to Casmalia.

“None of it will stay in Orange County even overnight,” Griffith said. Do’s and Don’ts for Disposing of Chemicals

In rounding up household chemicals for disposal, there are some do’s and don’ts to observe. Toxics Roundup Day coordinator Karen R. Peters advises:

- Do not mix materials.

- Where possible, be sure the material is in its original container.

- Inspect the container for leakage. If it leaks, either place the container and contents into a larger, leak-proof receptacle, or pour the contents into another container. Bring the old container or label along for identification.

- Make sure glass bottles or jars are protected against breakage.

- Pack products upright in a sturdy, leak-free carton for transportation.

- The amount of waste brought per visit should not exceed 5 gallons or 50 pounds. It is illegal to transport more than that in a private vehicle.

- Do not smoke while handling hazardous materials.